Many specialist offices are owned by a large hospital network. This allows them to classify the office as an outpatient center, as opposed to an independent facility, and charge what’s called a facility fee.
That means you may be getting two bills: one from the doctor and one from the facility or practice. The original argument was that outpatient centers that are associated with a hospital network are better equipped, but this has not been shown to be the case.
Finding an independent specialist may be difficult in some urban locations because hospital networks have been buying such independent practices. The best way to avoid paying this fee is to call your doctor’s office and ask if they charge a facility fee.
